I n n o va t i o n C o r n e r
Diabe tic Sugar
Indulge Your Sweet
Tooth with Diabetic Sugar
A Siddha or Tamil life sciences
breakthrough, DiaBliss is a
herbal technology that makes
cane sugar diabetic friendly.
By Sangita thakur varma
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June-July 2014 | www.ibef.org
T
he world is grappling with a largely lifestyle disease that has taken an epidemic form. According to the International Diabetes Federation’s
IDF Diabetes Atlas Sixth Edition, International
Diabetes Federation 2013, there were 382 million
people living with diabetes in the world in 2013. The number
of people affected by diabetes is projected to increase by 55
per cent to reach 592 million worldwide by 2035. In such a
scenario, when, C K Nandagopalan, Founder, Revolution, a
research foundation dedicated to Tamil sciences, and Chief
Diabe tic Sugar
Total Cholesterol, VLDL Triglycerides and Total
Cholesterol to HDL Ratios Show Reductions
Effect of DiaBliss Sugar Supplementation on Blood Glucose
Levels in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus; Results of
Clinical Trials Conducted at Sugen Life Sciences, AP
Variable
Baseline
60 days
Triglycerides Value
Postprandial Value
Change
Total
Cholesterol
mg%
117.8
334.68
163.21
345.83
1.12
0.27
-8.2%
HDL
Cholesterol
mg%
42.15
33.66
43.16
33.66
-0.86
0.39
2.4%
LDL
Cholesterol
mg%
95.44
328.57
93.64
342.76
0.15
0.88
-1.9%
VLDL mg/dI
31.17
314.73
26.16
310.58
1.17
0.25
-16.1%
Triglycerides
(mg/dI)
172.55
385.53
159.0
3127.85
0.391
0.69
-7.9%
Cholesterol/
HDL Cholesterol ratio
4.14
31.19
3.66
31.20
1.23
0.26
-11.6%
eases are strongly related to the glycemic
index (GI) of the overall diet. Diabetics are
recommended foods with low GI and glycemic load (GL). The glycemic action of
DiaBliss occurs from polyphenols, antioxidants and soluble fibres. When blended
with the herbal extract solution, there is
30 per cent reduction of GI in sugar. By
lowering the GI, DiaBliss makes rice and
fruit based products diabetic friendly. The
simple structure of the extract ensures
multiple applications.
Right since his youth, Nandagopalan,
a post-graduate in psychology from
Madras University, had a keen interest
in Tamil sciences, the branch that is
known as siddha. For those uninitiated
in the vast treasure trove of India’s
ancient remedies, he explains, “We are
not involved in the ayurvedic field of
medicinal research.” Both are separate
branches of natural science.
The innovator has his roots in the business community and as a young entrepreneur, he “wanted to come out with
Data & Key Findings
20% reduction in fasting and 10% reduction in post prandial blood glucose
levels on consumption of DiaBliss
275
Mean Blood Sugar mg%
Technology Officer, DiaBliss, says, “It
is a very simple herbal technology and
no skilled person is required for handling it,” you look at him in disbelief.
For, he is talking of his breakthrough
innovation, which in simple words is
the world’s only diabetic friendly herbal
sugar. He claims this sugar suits all
age groups and all types of diabetics
and that too without quantity restrictions. Additionally, its efficacy is proven
through scientific data backup, he says.
The herbal sugar called DiaBliss is
essentially 99 per cent cane sugar and
1 per cent herbal extract. The formulation is totally safe and 100 per cent
natural as it uses 15 ingredients that
are extracted from plants. It is a tasteless, colourless and odourless aqueous
herbal extract made from fenugreek,
pomegranate, cinnamon, gooseberry,
turmeric, black pepper and ginger.
Calcium, sodium, potassium and
other high value antioxidants are
extracted from these components. The
extracted formulation is then amalgamated together to produce the herbal
additive. A measure of 40 ml of this
liquid herbal additive is used to wet the
sugar, which is then kept for drying for
12 hours. The end product is herbally
enriched natural sugar, which a diabetic
can consume without fear.
Several clinical trials of the herbal sugar
have given positive results. DiaBliss sugar
has been tested on people for periods
ranging from three months to 36 months
and data to date indicates that the product
is safe. The product has been tested on
subjects ranging in the age group of 7
to 82 and has been found to be effective
in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. A 60 day
product trial conducted at Sugen Life Sciences, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on Type
II diabetics using a sample consumption
of 22.5g of DiaBliss sugar per day showed
excellent blood sugar absorption and
fasting and post prandial performance in
diabetics (see table and graph on right).
Nandagopalan cites a Harvard School of
Public Health finding where it has been
indicated that the risks of diseases such
as diabetes type II and coronary heart dis-
I n n o va t i o n C o r n e r
Post-prandial
250
225
200
Fasting
175
150
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revolutionary monopoly products, which,
at the same time, would help him serve
humanity”. With this mission in sight,
the innovator along with his brother C K
Premkumar, established their research
foundation Revolution in 1987 investing
www.ibef.org | June-July 2014
47
I n n o va t i o n C o r n e r
Diabe tic Sugar
their personal funds. It had an exclusive
aim—research into chronic diseases,
where cures remained elusive, and other
unsolved problems faced by humans
through the application of ancient Tamil
heritage. “We have learned many things
on our own and have trained under
many erudite people over a span of 16
long years,” says Nandagopalan reminiscing, and adds, “the main aim of the
foundation is to serve humans in the
area of pathology.”
It took close to 18 months for the fundamental technological breakthrough
to shape up successfully, says Nandagopalan. He is now, however, establishing
an industrial model to make cane sugar
universal. The researcher had studied
Diabetes Mellitus for over six years before
arriving at his innovative product. During
the course of this study, Revolution also
discovered ways of making natural salt
cardiovascular friendly by neutralising
the toxicity and making rice and wheat
diabetic friendly. All these innovations are
now being marketed by DiaBliss
Consumer Products.
DiaBliss, the eponymous commercial
venture and the brand, was established
in Chennai by Nandagopalan and some
of his associates to market the herbal
sugar and its byproducts. “We wanted
to take this concept to diabetic people
all over the world,” he says explaining
his association with the company.
The history behind the innovation of
diabetic sugar is inspiring. “Since 1997,
Revolution was actively involved in providing Heritage Sanjeevi, the wound care
drug for incurable diabetic foot, incurable
diabetic wounds and also a cure for diabetic gangrene. It was the heart rending
call from the diabetic world for sweet
treats that led the research foundation to
get seriously involved in finding a lasting
solution,” reveals the serial innovator,
adding, “developing a sugar that allows
diabetics to indulge their sweet tooth, was
the biggest challenge the globe faced.”
Nandagopalan was specially motivated
by the plight of the “the juvenile diabetic
world”—children denied small sweet
indulgences they craved.
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June-July 2014 | www.ibef.org
“The psychological
appetite for sugar and
sugar related products in a diabetic is
very high. When this
appetite is answered,
he considers himself
a normal person... ”
—C K Nandagopalan, CTO, DiaBliss
The herbal extract is derived from
several herbs and spices using water
and no other chemicals or solvents. The
solution when blended with sugar as well
as carbohydrates and fruit pulp provides
a complete and integrated system for
carbohydrate and fructose management.
The extract is colourless, odourless and
tasteless and helps retain the original taste
of cane sugar and its derivative products.
Since DiaBliss can render sugars, carbohydrates and fructose content in foods
diabetic consumption friendly, it enables
them to consume an unlimited choice of
foods, claims Nandagopalan.
Explaining the mechanism, Nandagopalan says, “In the preparation of the
herbal solution, potassium, calcium and
antioxidants are extracted without altering the potency. When DiaBliss sugar
is prepared with herbal extracts, these
ingredients allow glucose present in the
blood stream to be effectively absorbed
by the body at a cellular level. DiaBliss
Sugar addresses typical symptoms of
diabetics including low energy levels,
lethargy, itchiness, craving for food and
sweets by allowing enhanced absorption
and better body metabolism.” Revolution
has also developed and tested a range
of products including salt, rice, jams,
ketchup, multigrain porridge, chocolates, semiya payasam (kheer), beverages
(lemon tea mix, lemon juice mix), etc,
which will soon be launched.
The cost of the research was close
to `18 lakh (US$ 29,469.55), but the
results far outweigh these considerations for the founder who faced many
challenges. The primary ones were
that the sugar must suit all age groups
including children; suit all types of
diabetics; there should be no quantity
restriction and it should be ensured
that no ratified chemicals or solvents
are involved in the technology. But the
biggest challenge for Nandagopalan
was, as he explains through a diabetic’s
eyes, making an important point, “The
psychological appetite for sugar and
sugar related products in a diabetic
person is very high. When this appetite
is answered, he considers himself a
normal person and his mental health
improves in a big way.”
The product that was commercialised
in April 2013 received a huge welcome
from the world. “The sky is the limit
for the product as far as its market is
concerned,” observes Nandagopalan,
and adds, “We have started exporting
and enquiries are coming in from all
parts of the world.” The innovator is
not interested in patenting DiaBliss as
it is a pure proprietary formulation.
While the diabetics can now indulge
their sweet tooth, Revolution is also
working hard to commercialise the
first ever herbal technology in the area
of water management called Nanneer.
“We are also working on several other
concepts relating to the field of life
sciences,” informs Nandagopalan. One
can certainly expect more revolutionary
panaceas from his research lab given
the success of his earlier innovations–
products for incurable wounds; for
skin care; for burn care, which revives
pigmentation and a product for treating
seeds in the field of agriculture.